Is your responsible adult persona at odds with your inner wild child when choosing a car for your transportation needs? The mature side says you should pick an affordable, dependable vehicle with good fuel economy, like a Honda Civic, while the other yearns for more spark. If so, consider the Honda Civic Type R for the best of both worlds or at least an ear-to-ear-grin-inducing compromise. But how much can you expect to pay if you want a fully loaded 2023 Honda Civic Type R?

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R trim levels

Honda offers only one trim level for the 2023 Honda Civic Type R, with a few package options allowing you to customize it to your style. However, the entry-level 2023 Civic Type R, starting at $43,295, provides everything you need to turn heads around town and quicken your pulse whenever you sit in the driver’s seat. 

How much does a fully loaded 2023 Honda Civic Type R cost?

Fully upgrading the 2023 Honda Civic Type R using Honda’s online build and price tool raises the MSRP to over $51,000, even before including Honda’s $1,095 destination charge. Though you might not need any of these options, you’ll likely want all of them. Optional upgrades for the 2023 Civic Type R and the associated costs include:

• Premium paint colors: $455
• 19-inch forged alloy wheels: $3,100 (the R Performance Accessory Package listed below provides these wheels also)
• Protection Film Accessory Package, including a rear bumper applique, door handle, and door edge films, all with UV inhibitors to protect against scratches and paint chipping: $150
• R Protection Essentials Accessory Package, including a car cover for indoor or outdoor protection, a rear cargo tray, and contoured high-wall carpet mats: $700
• R Interior Driver’s Accessory Package, including illuminated door sill trim, a leather-wrapped shift knob, and an Alcantara steering wheel: $950
• R Performance Accessory Package, including a carbon fiber wing spoiler in place of the standard rear wing spoiler and the aforementioned 19-inch forged alloy wheels: $5,350

Other accessory options include roof racks with various attachments to carry bikes, kayaks, snowboards/skis, surf/paddleboards, baskets, and hard-sided boxes. Adding all these accessories, plus black wheel locking lugnuts and door visors designed to keep rain from dripping down the side windows, raises the price another $3,000. However, it’s doubtful anyone would need every accessory Honda sells.

2023 Honda Civic Type R features and specs 

At the leading edge of every Civic Type R drivetrain sits a 315-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder VTEC engine. Honda’s “6MT” six-speed manual transmission handles the shifting duties. Though some will shy away from the manual transmission, it’s a shame because with the Type R’s excellent power-to-weight ratio and Honda’s manual shift “Rev-Match Control,” learning to drive a stick shift is easier than ever. 

The base price includes a choice of exterior paint colors between Crystal Black Pearl and Rallye Red, while three other premium paint colors — Boost Blue Pearl, Championship White, and Sonic Gray Pearl — cost $455 extra. From the driver’s seat, you’ll find four drive modes — +R, Individual, Sport, and Comfort — complementing the Type R’s responsive drivetrain to change the tune for any situation, from on-track performance to city street civility. 

Regarding sitting in the driver’s seat, from the driver’s vantage point, you’ll appreciate that Honda designed the newest Type R to “create wide sightlines and minimize blind spots.” You’ll also see the Driver Information Interface, which allows a customizable data display. In +R mode, in addition to engine temperatures, oil pressure, and turbo boost level, the interface provides the following:

• An LED shift indicator to optimize shift points
• A stopwatch to keep an eye on your lap times
• A graphical display of current G-forces, in case the smile on your face isn’t proof enough.